A qualitative study of web-based knowledge communities:Examining success factors

International Journal of e-Collaboration

Volumn 5, Issue 3, 2009, Pages 39-57

  Lin, Hui ^a   Fan, Weiguo ^b   Zhang, Zhongju ^c  

^a DEPAUL UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT   (United States)

Author keywords

Community governance; Information quality; Pro sharing norms; Sense of community; Success factors; System quality; Web based knowledge communities

Indexed keywords

EID: 70349282127     PISSN: 15483673     EISSN: 15483681     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.4018/jec.2009070103     Document Type: Article

References (60)

1. Abdinnour-Helm, S. F., Chaparro, B., S., & Farmer, S., M. (2005). Using the end-user computing satisfaction (EUCS) instrument to measure satisfaction with a Website. Decision Sciences, 36(2), 341-364.
2. Agarwal, R., & Venkatesh, V. (2002). Assessing a firm's Web presence: A heuristic evaluation procedure for the measurement of usability. Information Systems Research, 13(2), 168-186.
3. Anfara, V. A., Brown, K. M., & Mangione, T. L. (2002). Qualitative analysis on stage: Making the research process more public. Educational Researcher, 31(7), 28-38.
4. Ardichvili, A., Page, V., & Wentling, T. (2003). Motivation and barriers to participation in virtual knowledge-sharing communities of practice. Journal of Knowledge Management, 7(1), 64.
5. Armstrong, A., & Hagel, J. I. (1996). The real value of on-line communities. Harvard Business Review, 74(3), 134.
6. Blanchard, A. (2006). Listserv implementation and sense of community: The relationship with increased knowledge and face-to-face interaction. International Journal of e-Collaboration, 2(2), 27-45.
7. Blanchard, A. L., & Markus, M. L. 2002. Sense of virtual community-maintaining the experience of belonging. Paper presented at the 35th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS'02).
8. Butler, B. S. (2001). Membership size, communication activity, and sustainability: A resource-based model of online social structures. Information Systems Research, 12(4), 346-362.
9. Chavis, D. W., & Pretty, G. M. H. (1999). Sense of community: Advances in measurement and application. Journal of Community Psychology, 27(6), 635-642.
10. Chipuer, H. M., & Pretty, G. M. H. (1999). A review of the sense of community index: Current uses, factor structure, reliability, and further development. Journal of Community Psychology, 27(6), 643-658.
11. Cohen, J. (1960). A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 20, 37-46.
12. DeLone, W. H., & McLean, E. (2003). The DeLone and McLean model of information systems success: A ten-year updated. Journal of Management Information Systems, 19(4), 9-30.
13. DeLone, W. H., & McLean, E. R. (1992). Information systems success: The quest for the dependent variable. Information Systems Research, 3(1), 60-95.
14. de Moor,A. (2005). Towards a design theory for community information systems. Paper presented at the 11th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCII'05), Las Vegas.
15. de Moor, A., & Wagenvoort, J. (2004). Conflict management in an online gaming community. Paper presented at the Community Informatics Research Network (CIRN) 2004 Conference, Prato, Italy.
16. Doll, W. J., Deng, X., Raghunathan, T. S., Torkzadeh, G., & Xia, W. (2004). The meaning and measurement of user satisfaction: A multigroup invariance analysis of the end-user computing satisfaction instrument. Journal of Management Information Systems, 21(1), 227-262.
17. Doll, W. J., & Torkzadeh, G. (1988). The measurement of end-user computing satisfaction. MIS Quarterly, 12(2), 259-274.
18. Dow, K., Serenko, A., Turel, O., & Wong, J. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of user satisfaction with e-mail systems. International Journal of e-Collaboration, 2(2), 46-64.
19. Ginsburg, M., & Weisband, S. (2004). A framework for virtual community business success: The case of the Internet chess club. Paper presented at the 37th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS'04).
20. Glaser, B. (1992). Basics of grounded theory analysis. Mill Valley, CA: Sociology Press.
21. Glaser, B. G., & Strauss,A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. New York: Aldine Publishing Company.
22. Goulding, C. (2002). Grounded theory: A practical guide for management, business and market researchers. London: Sage.
23. Hwang, M., & McLean, E. R. (1996). The use of meta-analysis in validating the DeLone and McLean information systems success model. Paper presented at the 29th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS'96), Big Island, Hawaii.
24. Jarvenpaa, S. L., & Staples, D. S. (2000). The use of collaborative electronic media for information sharing: An exploratory study of determinants. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 9, 129-154.
25. Kankanhalli, A., Tan, B. C. Y., & Wei, K.-K. (2005). Contributing knowledge to electronic knowledge repositories: An empirical investigation. MIS Quarterly, 29(1), 113-143. (Pubitemid 44151825)
26. Kling, R., & Courtright, C. (2003). Group behaviour and learning in electronic forums: A sociotechnical approach. Information Society, 19(3), 221-235.
27. Kling, R., McKim, G., & King, A. (2003). A bit more to it: Scholarly communication forums as socio-technical interaction networks. Journal of the American Society for Information Science & Technology, 54(1), 47-67.
28. Koh, J., & Kim, Y.-G. (2003, 2004). Sense of virtual community: A conceptual framework and empirical validation. International Journal ofElectronic Commerce, 8(2), 75-93.
29. Landis, J. R., & Koch, G. G. (1977). The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics, 33, 159-174.
30. Lazar, J., & Preece, J. (2002). Social considerations in online communities: Usability, sociability, and success factors. In H. van Oostendorp (Ed.), Cognition in the digital world. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc. Publishers.
31. Leimeister, J. M., & Krcmar, H. (2004). Success factors of virtual communities from the perspective of members and operators: An empirical study. Paper presented at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS'04).
32. Lin, H.-F., & Lee, G.-G. (2006). Determinants of success for online communities: an empirical study. Behaviour & Information Technology, 25(6), 479-488.
33. Lu, S. C. Y., & Cai, J. (2000). Stars: A socio-technical framework for integrating design knowledge over the Internet. IEEE Internet Computing, 4(5), 54-62.
34. Maloney-Krichmar, D., & Preece, J. (2002). The meanings of an online health community in the lives of its members: Roles, relationships and group dynamics. Paper presented at the 2002 International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS'02). Raleigh, NC.
35. McKinney, V., Yoon, K., & Zahedi, F. (2002). The measurement of Web-customer satisfaction: An expectation and disconfirmation approach. Information Systems Research, 13(3), 296-315.
36. McWilliam, G. (2000). Building stronger brands through online communities. Sloan Management Review, 41(3), 43-54.
37. McMillian, D. W., & Chavis, D. W. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 6-23.
38. Mumford, E. (2006). The story of socio-technical design: reflections on its successes, failures and potential. Information Systems Journal, 16, 317-342.
39. Nahapiet, J., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. The Academy of Management Review, 23(2), 42-266.
40. Palmer, J. W. (2002). Web site usability, design, and performance metrics. Information Systems Research, 13(2), 151-167.
41. Preece, J. (2000). Thriving online communities: Usability and sociability. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons.
42. Preece, J. (2001). Sociability and usability in online communities: Determining and measuring success. Behaviour & Information Technology, 20(5), 347-356.
43. Rai, A., Lang, S., & Welker, R. (2002). Assessing the validity of IS success models: An empirical test and theoretical analysis. Information Systems Research, 13(1), 50-69.
44. Rheingold, H. (1993). The virtual community: Homesteading on the electronic frontier. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.
45. Ridings, C. M., & Gefen, D. (2004). Virtual community attraction: Why people hang out online. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(1).
46. Ridings, C. M., Gefen, D., & Arinze, B. (2002). Some antecedents and effects of trust in virtual communities. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 11, 271-295.
47. Sangwan, S. (2005). Virtual community success: A uses and gratifications perspective. Paper presented at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS '05).
48. Seddon, P. B. (1997). A respecification and extension of the DeLone and McLean model of IS success. Information Systems Research, 8(3), 240-253.
49. Strauss,A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
50. Tarmizi, H., de Vreede, G.-J., & Zigurs, I. (2007). Leadership challenges in communities of practice: Supporting facilitators via design and technology. International Journal of e-Collaboration, 3(1), 18-39.
51. Teo, H. H., Chan, H. C., Wei, K. K., & Zhang, Z. (2003). Evaluating information accessibility and community adaptivity features for sustaining virtual learning communities. International Journal of Human Computer Studies, 59(5), 671-697.
52. Varady, D. P. (1986). Neighborhood confidence: A critical factor in neighborhood revitalization? Environment and Behavior, 18(4), 480-501.
53. Venkatesh, V., Morris, M., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425-478.
54. Wallace, M. (1997). Groupware: Ifyou build it, they may not come. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 40, 48-53.
55. Wasko, M., & Faraj, S. (2005). Why should I share? Examining social capital and knowledge contribution in electronic network of practice. MIS Quarterly, 29(1), 35-57.
56. Wasko, M., Faraj, S., & Teigland, R. (2004). Collective action and knowledge contribution in electronic networks of practice. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 5(11-12), 494-513.
57. Weber, R. P. (1990). Basic content analysis. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
58. Wenger, E. (2004). Knowledge management as a doughnut: Shaping your knowledge strategy through communities of practices. Ivey Business Journal Online, 68(3), 1-8.
59. Wixom, B. H., & Todd, P. A. (2005). A theoretical integration of user satisfaction and technology acceptance. Information Systems Research, 16(1), 85-102.
60. Zhang, W., & Watts, S. (2003). Knowledge adoption in online communities of practice. Paper presented at the Twenty-Fourth International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS'03), Seattle, Washington.